Waldwick police raise $20,000 in memory of Christopher Goodell, who died on duty

Fallen officer Chris Goodell's sister, Nicole Priestner, left, of Midland Park speaks with Allison Blau, wearing the memorial shirt, a court administrator who came to support the fundraiser.

WALDWICK— Members of the Waldwick Police Department raised more than $20,000 on Saturday to help start a scholarship fund in the name of their fallen brother, Officer Christopher Goodell, who died last month while on duty.

Goodell’s family attended the event, where his fellow officers and staff sold about 2,000 navy blue shirts with Goodell’s badge number, 38, on the front.

“It’s all about Chris,” said Jillian Voss, Goodell’s fiancée. “That’s all that matters right now.”

Goodell, a Marine Corps veteran and five-year member of the department, was killed when a tractor-trailer rammed into the back of his unmarked police vehicle in the early morning hours on July 17. The 32-year-old had been conducting radar patrol in the shoulder of Route 17. The truck driver, 28-year-old Ryon Cumberbatch, who worked for a New Jersey company, was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide.

The fundraiser, the first the department has hosted for Goodell, was held at the Waldwick Fire Department’s headquarters on East Prospect Avenue. Waldwick police Sgt. Troy Seifert, who organized the event, said the criteria for the scholarship and the amount have yet to be determined, but it will go to one senior from Waldwick High School each year. Goodell graduated from the high school in 2000.

“Doing a scholarship in his name lets us hold on to a piece of him,” Seifert said.

Seifert said the department, with about 16 officers, and their families have rallied together in the past month as the town continues to mourn Goodell. On Saturday, the officers, their families and children, and retired officers came back to help with the event.

“It’s tough,” Seifert said. “We’re trying our best to move on.”

Voss, who had dated Goodell for more than two years, said support for her and the family is evident throughout the small, close-knit borough. For example, when Voss needed a dress altered for Goodell’s funeral, the tailor did so at no charge. Driving throughout town, Voss and Seifert said they see Goodell’s image in windows as signs of solidarity.

“It’s just an incredible outpouring,” said Voss. “It’s hard to put it in words.”